Rhetorical Interpretation

This course introduces Rhetoric majors to legal, political, and cultural discourses of the logo, defined as a word/image that is owned, used and misused through symbolic production, consumption, and appropriation. Readings and lectures will examine the historical emergence of the logo as legalized property and as commodity sign, and will survey the trademarks, brands, designs, signatures, characters, and other signifying devices through which capitalist culture communicates origin, responsibility, trust, ownership, taste, fashion, and status. We will also examine thefts, appropriation, and infringements of the mark in numerous cultural and political contexts, broadly encompassing literary, artistic, and performative traditions. Creative and research assignments will train students in various practices of interpretation, including cataloguing, classification, transcription, description, narrative, visualization, criticism, design, and performance. Students will be required to present their work in weekly discussion sections.